Defy
by Missinghummingbird
Summary: In the war against Homeworld, among the largest and toughest of gems, was an elegant, strong Pearl. And it was her mission to protect Rose Quartz. But how far is too far to protect someone you love?


**Something actually made for fiction writing class that I don't think turned out so bad. Nothing huge, just something for me to try and at least write for Steven Universe. And of course, I can't do that without going into the war against Homeworld-more specifically, Rose and Pearl. I'm the worst *cries* Enjoy!**

Defy

There was a flash, and Pearl opened her eyes once more to the battlefield. The fires and destruction raged on even as she recharged inside her gem. Feeling new and refreshed, like a new person, she marched forward to search for the one she sought to protect until the very end.

Bringing out her sharp spear, she hurried across the flaming strawberry fields. All around, it was the same as the last time she had seen it; weapons dropped, forgotten in the chaos, and some gems shattered to pieces around her feet. Whether they were allies or enemies, she'd never know.

Despite the wreckage and the fallen warriors, the fighting raged on. And she would do the same. Pearl, beneath her thin and tiny image, remained persist and strong in the war, even against the largest and strongest of enemy gems.

And all throughout, she remained on Rose Quartz's side. _Stay by her side, do whatever you can to protect her,_ was her repeating mantra with each fall and each rise. She ran and dodged tossed weapons in her poetic movements, even struck a few gems poised to strike.

She continued running into the mess of what seemed like a never-ending field of destruction.

A pink sword blocked her path, stopping her mid step. She looked up to see the one she was looking for and almost smiled.

Then she saw Rose Quartz's solemn gaze. Straightening her posture, she asked, "Is something wrong, Rose? You're not hurt, are you?"

A tiny smile reached Rose's face. "I'm fine. Homeworld is starting to lose their numbers… but so are we." The tired look in her eyes aged Rose by a millennia, and Pearl thought about the smashed gems surrounding the fields. How many remained?

"I know things have been rough, Rose, but… that means we're all almost done, right? Once we deactivate all the kindergartens, there will be no more gems for us to fight. And then we can… we can stop and just… have time to ourselves." Pearl hated how exhausted Rose looked, hated how much this war destroyed her in more ways than one, and images of them together after the war raced through her mind. It was the only thing keeping her going. Her and Rose, Pearl and Rose.

"Yes, but we're not quite done yet. And that's why I want you to do something else for me. But not here."

"W-what do you mean?" The tone in her commander's voice was too unwelcoming and brought great unease, like a true commander. Pearl met her exhaustive gaze, holding onto her spear for dear life. And she tried her best to ignore how badly it shook in her white knuckled grasp.

"Pearl, I can't keep letting you sacrifice yourself for me. Not anymore."

"Oh, I'm fine. See? Refreshed and ready to finish the job." Pearl even twirled to show off her new outfit. She lost count how many she went through with each regeneration, but each one showed off the pink star knitted onto the chest area. Her smile was wide and bright.

"How much longer can this go on, though?"

"Let what go on? We're so close," she repeated, taking a step forward and gestured out to the blazing fields. "You said so yourself. I can finish this with you. Isn't that what you would want, Rose?"

Rose shook her head, and Pearl begged herself to calm down, that maybe she was getting nervous over nothing. "I-I thought that's what I wanted, but… oh, Pearl don't you see what's happened since the beginning?" Rose brushed her hand onto Pearl's shoulder.

Pearl just blinked. Wasn't she doing as she was told? What could she possibly have done wrong?

Rose answered before she could. "I understand that you want to protect me, but what breaks my heart is that you don't ever think about yourself. You stand in the way of whoever's attacking me, and…" Rose pulled her head away, and if Pearl blinked, she would've missed the tears glossing over her eyes. Rose brushed them off and added, "I can't let you keep dying for me. I-I won't. Not like this. It breaks my heart every time."

"I… I don't understand." Only she did, but she refused to let the words truly resonate.

"I want you out of the battlefield. I want you and Garnet to check out the closest Kindergarten and shut it down before it creates more gems," Rose commanded, eyeing the shades wearing gem, who had punched an attacking gem out of its physical form.

"No! You should have me—someone here, to help you! That's why I'm here; to help you."

"And I love that you're here with me, I really do." The sincerity in her voice eased a bit of tension on Pearl's shoulder, but it wasn't enough. She still shook and her words still punched her in the gut and by god, did they hurt.

"I'm doing this for you!" Pearl shouted, clutching her chest, like maybe that would stop her heart from breaking and the tears from flowing. But her heart kept on pounding viciously, and the tears stung her eyes. Why was she doing this to her?

"Pearl, you're not just my sentry. You're my… my friend." She hesitated, as in the word was painful to release. Pearl's eyes grew, and she looked away. Rose brought it back with her large hand, which didn't feel too big on Pearl's thin face. No, to her, it was perfect. "And you've been fighting bravery, more so than I ever expected when we first met. And you've grown so much since then. You're amazing, but—"

"Rose, i-if I've done something wrong, please tell me," she begged.

Rose looked down, quiet, the only sound echoing was the remnants of the ongoing battle. Pearl thought back to all those gems that arrived onto Earth, ready to destroy them all, and here they remained, in so few numbers that she could count them by her hands. So close, so close, but with each word spoken between them, why did it feel like they were only being pulled farther apart?

"Why won't you let me protect you? After everything! Why won't you let me do this for you?!" Pearl cried out, her spear dropped and left behind in the grass as she clenched her fists in front of her. And the tears fell, and the shame only grew in how pathetic she must've looked.

Rose sighed. "Because you need to learn to take care of and love yourself first. I'm sorry, but I have to take my stand on this. I know you'll understand someday."

Pearl couldn't speak anymore. Her voice was lost.

"I still have to find Jasper and end this. And once we're all done, I'll find you two so we can return to the temple… I'm sorry, Pearl."

Rose walked off, unsheathing her sword at the sound of screaming gems behind the hills. And only once did she look back at Pearl, but Pearl refused to meet her gaze, because her own was too blurry with tears flowing. Even her nose was leaking, but she hid it as she ran.

As she walked forward, Garnet was walking toward her. They stopped when standing side-by-side, but never looked at one another. Yet somehow, Pearl could feel her friend's three eyed stare digging into her soul.

"This is for the best, Pearl," Garnet said in a low voice, never looking her directly in the eye. They began walking off toward the nearest warp pad.

Pearl shut her eyes in anger, gritting her teeth. "I don't need to be worried about, I assure you. I can take care of myself perfectly fine."

"But you don't."

This argument was too repetitive, too old, so Pearl dropped it. "I just want her safe. What if something bad happens to her?"

Garnet didn't respond for a minute. Pearl, with each painful second as she waited, snapped. "Garnet!"

"She can take care of herself, you know. She's strong."

"… She will be okay, right?" Pearl's voice shrank, anger depleting as the concern won over.

Garnet's lips fell in a straight line. "For now, yes, and that's what matters. But what also matters is that you don't get yourself killed… permanently. She cares about you and would never forgive herself if something happened to you." And she fell silent for the rest of the walk there, to let her words sink in.

Pearl looked back at Rose far in the distance, her dress tattered at its frilly edges, and her hair no longer as perfectly kept and glowing; the war ruined that elegant image, those selfish monsters. Pearl could only imagine her as a fallen queen never giving up on her people.

As if spurred by the moment, her eyes snapped open. Thinking about the very gem that gave her motivation and inspiration with nothing more than a gorgeous smile, she thought of a promise she made to her; that ever since the beginning, she wouldn't leave Rose's side, no matter what.

"I'm not letting that change. Not yet."

Pearl brought out another spear, swishing the pair in her hands as she marched forward into the fiery fields.

"Pearl!" Garnet hissed, a frightening thing to hear.

Pearl glanced over her shoulder. Even just staring at her shades made her shudder, but she stayed strong. "You can handle the Kindergarten on your own, right? I'll stay here!" She looked back at the raging storm. "Because I came here to protect Earth for her, and because of that, I'm not leaving her."

A sly look crossed Pearl's face, and she grinned.

 _Do it for her._

* * *

Garnet watched Pearl run off, and in the back of her mind, could even see Rose fighting an orange, large gem in the distance. Pearl got closer and closer, and Garnet had to shake her head to rid herself of the vision. She stepped onto the warp pad, which sparked to life and began sending her to the Kindergarten.

 _When will she learn?_


End file.
